E3 – Day 4 Diary: Reflections

Here it is! The final day of E3 2013 is upon us, and it’s time for the final push towards the finish line. There are only a few appointments, and plenty of time to get things done. Let’s see if any of that actually happens though.

8:45AM

Oops. Looks like we’re not making that first appointment, I’m not too concerned however because frankly I am too tired to think straight even after sleeping in this much.

10:30AM

We get to the convention center, and I go have a quiet cup of coffee and muffin before the final push. It’s a nice quiet moment in the middle of this slowed-down-but-still-chaotic place.

12:00PM

Our appointment with CD Projekt Red for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt begins, and it is swagtastic. I get a T-shirt, a free copy of Edge magazine, and codes for the first two Witcher games. SCORE! The cherry on top of it all is that the game looks phenomenal even at this early stage, so I don’t have to feel awkward about sharing my thoughts about it.

2:00PM

Yami and I make our way through the show floors filming footage for her video project in which she lamely limps through the throngs of people. I suspect that when she’s done editing, it will either be hilarious or heartbreaking.

2:15PM

I’M FREE! I don’t meet with Sega for another hour, so it’s time to hit the floor and check out some of the booths that I missed. It had kind of a dual effect on my though; it was great to explore, but it really showed just how much I’ve missed out on these past few days. Well, c’est la vie.

4:30PM

Back from meeting Sega and it’s time to get writing. The next hour and a half is spent finishing articles before the whole thing closes down once and for all.

6:00PM

And that wraps up E3 2013. I am feeling amazingly energized as we leave the convention center and in search of dinner. I call my wife and daughter to tell them about my day, and it’s the perfect end to a wonderful day.

The Best Thing About Day 4:

We had great appointments (thanks Yami) and got to see a bunch of cool stuff, but the best part of today was the three hours when I had no appointments and could just wander. I strolled through the show floors and got to just be part of things without having to race around. I stopped and played some games I’d noticed out of the corner of my eye but didn’t have time to try, and went back to my IndieCade safe haven.

The Worst Thing About Day 4:

There is just so much to see and play that it is impossible to cover it all, especially when there are just two of you. Not being able to play Dark Souls 2 is something I particularly regret, as is missing out on so many of the indie games that could have benefited from our coverage.

What I Learned About E3 on Day 4:

1. Live for the final day. The way to do E3 is to get all your appointments out of the way on the first and second days, and allow yourself the chance to explore at the end. You’ll inevitably discover something you weren’t expecting to find, and you get to finish off E3 on a high note. Seriously, after Day 1, I was just about ready to pack it in and go home. By the end of today I was ready to go for another week.

2. When it’s all over, go out for a nice meal. I have eaten so much fast food and crap this past week, it’s ridiculous. Once we got back to where we were staying, Yami and I went across the street for Thai food. It’s funny; neither of us had noticed that our hotel was situated in what seems to be LA’s Thai community — there are seven restaurants and two grocery stores in the immediate vicinity. There’s nothing like some real food to make you feel like a functioning human again.

3. The video game community is made up of passionate and wonderful people. It has been a delight to make new friends, work alongside Yami, and feel like part of something larger in this world. This final post is a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to all of them, and to you reading this, for a memorable and exciting E3 2013.